PHOTO: Guthy Renker

When I landed in the Minneapolis/St. Paul airport, I was greeted with a pleasant surprise.

As I made my way down to the baggage claim, I bumped into what was essentially a giant vending machine that uses robotic technology to dispense Proactive skin care products.

Created by Zoom Systems, a San Francisco-based company, the kiosk includes all your Proactiv essentials such as the Renewing Cleanser, Revitalizing Toner, and Repairing lotion — all available individually or as part of the classic 3-piece set.

Also available — and of particular interest to the beauty-savvy traveler, was the Mini-Maintenance system which includes travel-sized, airline-friendly 1 oz. bottles of the 3 products mentioned above.

As convenient as this kiosk is, there are a couple of drawbacks. The first is that if you are unhappy with a product, you can not return it to the Proactiv kiosk at your local mall. Instead, you have to call the 800 number located at the bottom of your receipt. Second, the kiosk does not allow you to take advantage of the club member prices you enjoy if you are a Proactiv Clear Skin Club Member.

Oh, and be forewarned that if you buy the Mini-Maintenance travel kit from the kiosk, it does not come with the cute little carrying case that is included with the system if you buy it through Proactiv’s catalog (boooo!).

Nevertheless, it’s nice to know that there is a convenient way of getting ahold of your favorite Proactiv products while traveling.

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